


"Deaf", "Dumb" and "Blind"

by RobespierreforFrance



Series: Non!Gryffindor Harry [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autistic, Autistic Character, Autistic Ron Weasley, Blind Character, Blind Harry Potter, Deaf, Good Peter Pettigrew, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partially Deaf Character, Partially Deaf Hermione Granger, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Sirius Black Free from Azkaban, blind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24416227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobespierreforFrance/pseuds/RobespierreforFrance
Summary: It was unknown to most that when the killing curse hit the toddler, the light was already so bright on the young developing eyes that once it landed directly above his eyes, well, that would be the last time Harry Potter ever saw a thing.-Ron Weasley was.... different, from the rest of her children; He grasped onto things slower than Bill ever did, he didn't run around the house like the twins, he didn't reach for everything he could like Percy and Charlie... it worried her, and made her wonder if the Healers missed something when they checked him over when he was born.-"I'm Hermione Granger!" she yelled, hardly hearing herself. The other children stared, weird looks on their faces, and ran off giggling. Those, she heard, tears springing to her eyes and her hands unconsciously reached towards the large clunky technology that reseted in her ears.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Harry Potter/???, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, James Potter & Severus Snape, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood/Ron Weasley, Petunia Evans Dursley & Harry Potter, Petunia Evans Dursley & Lily Evans Potter, Petunia Evans Dursley & Severus Snape, Remus Lupin & Severus Snape, Sirius Black & Severus Snape
Series: Non!Gryffindor Harry [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/827550
Comments: 65
Kudos: 513





	1. Purple Hyacinth

**Author's Note:**

> Ay-yo, back at it again with a Non!Gryffindor!Harry Potter fanfiction without even finishing any of the others I have lol. But I just couldn't hold back on this one, it was begging for me to write it.
> 
> Just to mention, I am neither autistic or on the spectrum, blind or deaf in anyway and any portrayals I have in this fiction is either through research or guesstimation. In no way am I trying to make fun of those who are on the spectrum, legally blind or legally deaf. This is just something that I wanted to write about in a world I grew up learning about that allows new growth in the fanfiction community.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**hy·a·cinth**

hīə,sinTH

Color: Purple

Meaning: Regret, Forgiveness

* * *

The dark haired man was looking down as the caskets of Lily and James Potter were lowered into the ground. The sky was as grey as he felt, his eyes damp from the unshed tears that threatened to fall, and, despite the chilly November wind blowing against the crowd, Sirius felt like he was sweating. Besides him, Remus gave a long exhale of breath, sniffing as his own tears were falling down his cheeks, a handkerchief clenched into shaky scarred hands. On his other side, a grief-stricken Peter was bawling into his hands, shoulders shaking in the too large suit jacket he had managed to find laying around his home. They were all grieving their loss, the life-long friends that they cherished with all of their beings, the best friends that they all would've done anything for.

Yet the one who should've been the only one able to cry should've been Harry. 

The toddler was in the arms of Severus Snape, ex-Death Eater, fresh from his trial only hours before. His hooked nose was a bright red, eyes shining with pure devastation as the dirt landed on the shiny wood of the coffins to the Potter couple. Harry, on the other hand, kept looking around, silent and confused, not a sound escaping him as his clouding eyes gazed lifelessly at everyone. As if everything he was seeing wasn't even there.

"Let us all bow our heads for a moment of silence, a moment to think upon the lives of Lily and James Potter, and celebrate the lives that they had, together," the priest said, ending his sermon. The witches and wizards in attendance, with the small spattering of Muggles, tilted their heads forwards and closed their eyes, praying and remembering their loss to whatever deity they so choose. Sirius kept his eyes open, not leaving the wooden caskets that were slowly disappearing under the soil of the Earth, the bodies of his best friend and his wife returning to Mother Magic.

It was only minutes later that Sirius realized that people were beginning to leave. The aurors from the ministry, the ones that knew James the best, turned and walked away to a secluded spot to apparate back to work, no doubt to return to the piles of paperwork sitting on their desks. A couple of no-named wixen that Sirius couldn't remember the names to left soon after, then a couple of muggles, and soon it was just what was left of the Marauders, Severus Snape, a small family of Muggles and sweet, little Harry.

Severus, surprisingly, was the first to speak between them.

"I'm surprised you managed to make it here, Petunia," he said, his voice rough and clogged with the pain that they all could feel. "I didn't think you'd want to come." He didn't look at the blond woman, only towards Harry, who was now trying to get his attention as hands slapped against his cheeks gently, small grunts escaping from his lips. It would've been comical if the situation wasn't so depressing; Sirius knew that if this was any other moment, he would've blown this situation to the extreme upon retellings.

"I lost a sister, Severus," Petunia whispered. She glared at the man, but there wasn't any fire behind it. "Of course I would've come. I just wish...."

"Don't we all..." Snape agreed, as if the Muggle woman and he had a shared secret of longing between them. Peter gave a loud sniff, fresh waves of tears rolling down his chubby cheeks and he pushed back the sob that wanted to escape.

Remus sighed, a slight warble in his voice. "All that's left to do today, is the Will Readings, and then... well, then I'm not sure what to do after."

"We'll figure something out, Moony," Sirius spoke up, his voice scratching against his throat. He had spent the night before, and the night before that, and the night before that, a mess of tears in his bed as memories surfaced on his tired mind. He saw the dead body of James, limp against the staircase to Godric's Hollow as his eyes stared at nothing; the body of Lily crumpled in front of Harry's crib, her hair as red as the blood as it covered her face and arms; Harry screaming and crying and flailing about in the arms of Severus Snape, who didn't look as well off as anyone else in that cursed house. He ignored the second body laying in Harry's room, black robes crumpled and spread eagle on the carpet.

Sirius had been terrified, worried sick about the state his godson was in. He nearly ripped the young boy out of his old rival's arms as he caught sight of the blood that covered Harry's face, noting the fresh cuts that started from the roots of his hair, flowing down his forehead until it rested under his eyes in a mess of ziggs and zaggs in all directions. He couldn't tell where the blood started and ended on Harry's tiny face and the squirming of the young child as he wiggled about in Severus' arms didn't help calming him down at all.

He _was_ going to go into a rage, almost ready to fly out the door, wand in hand, to chase after the man who had done this to _his_ family; chase after the man that was supposed to keep this place a secret. But Snape spoke up, his voice sounding weak and separated, stopped him. He couldn't remember, _wouldn't_ remember, the words the other had called to him, but he knew that if he didn't Sirius would've ended up in a far worse place than the steps of sorrow he was in now. 

And for that he was grateful.

"I suppose this is where we leave then, right Tunia?" the large man besides Petunia spoke up. Throughout the whole funeral, nearly everyone had noticed how uncomfortable Vernon Dursley looked and probably felt. No one could blame him, as hardly anyone knew who he was unless you knew Petunia, and even then they took a while to realize who he was and why he was there in the first place. "Let's get Dudders home and ready for a nap, how does that sound?"

"You can go ahead, Vernon," the blond woman replied. "I need to attend the Will Readings as well, seeing as it _is_ my sister. Take good care of Dudey-kins, and I'll be home as soon as I can." She gave him a swift kiss, planting another on the head of the chubbier toddler that was in the carrier next to his feet, and quietly watched as her husband waddled to the only car left in the graveyard. "Would one of you mind if I traveled with one of you?"

"I can help you," Remus offered, holding out his arm towards her. She accepted, though warrily, and lightly rested her hands on his arm as they apparated away to the ministry. Peter followed, then Sirius, and lastly, Severus and Harry.

The Will Readings, despite what most Muggleborns and Squibs believed, were not held in Gringotts as they expected. While the goblins did indeed have sound contracts and enjoyed ruling over money with a tight iron fist, wills had no bearing of wealth that could win them over to allow them to keep them for who knows how long. Wedding Contracts, deeds to houses, and similar spell bound parchment, on the other hand, were much more entertaining to watch over and keep. Depending on the wording, some even took great enjoyment to watch the unfamiliar wixen struggle to understand the complex runes and phrases that graced the yellowing parchments that were signed with goblin issued quills.

Instead, Will Readings were held within a secure small room deep within the ministry. There, one would be invited to hear the reading of a person's wishes after their death or disappearance. There were secrecy wards placed on the door to that room, not letting any information within the will to be leaked until the will was finished being read and processed. Runes were inscribed repeatedly on the stones within that prevented any of the Wills to leave the room unless, upon the death of the witch or wizard, the wixen wished for the Will to be open to the public, which was rare in itself.

Peter, Remus, Severus, Harry, Petunia and Sirius landed just outside the ministry, where a ministry worker was waiting to lead them to the Will Readings room. There was only one room, and with how many deaths had happened during the last few years, a second and third were being constructed. Hopefully, with the death of You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters being rounded up and tried, there would be less need for the second and third Will Readings room. 

They were swiftly led to the room, ducking inside before any wandering eyes could catch them. Sirius had never been inside the Will Readings room before, not even after the death of his own father. He wasn't invited, of course, despite knowing he was still in his father's will. The room was fairly small, having been built centuries before he was born and when the ministry was first starting to form. There was one large ball of light that glowed in the center of the circular room, the runes that were engraved in the stone pulsing with light faintly, creating a softer look to the already intimidating looking room. Beneath the ball of light was one desk, a cabinet and a couple of chairs, enough for each of the adults to sit.

"Please find a seat in front of the desk," the attendant said once they reached the Will Readings room. "Miss Priscella Levan will be your Will Reader today. She'll explain the process of today's Will Reading. I'm sorry for your loss." And the attendant was out the door.

It was then that Sirius noticed the woman sitting at the desk, her hands folded primly in front of her. She was a tiny woman, with a sharp angular face and bright amber eyes that looked almost too large for her face. Her greying hair was pulled away from her face, clasped tightly with an intricate looking butterfly clip that looked as if it were moving with each pulsing light that passed over it. She gave the group a smile once they all sat down, looking far too practiced on her aging face, but it was a smile nonetheless. 

"Thank you for coming. I'm sorry we have to meet on such a sorrow filled day, but I'm sure you'd like to know what Mister and Misses James Potter left their loved ones," Miss Levan greeted. Her smile didn't shift from her face. "As my assistant has already informed you, my name is Priscella Levan and I will begin reading the wills of Mister and Misses Potter on November fifth, nineteen-eighty-one at two-o-four pm." She began to shuffle the files on her desk, opening the first one that came into her hands. "We shall begin with Misses Lily Jean Potter nee Evans."

Miss Levan took out the sheet of paper, which held the last life-line that anyone would ever know of Lily Potter, the last words Harry and everyone else would ever hear, and not even from the woman's lips. Instead, they would have to settle with the sugar-coated voice of Miss Levan, the high song-like voice very different from the familiar light brass of the red headed woman they all knew.

"This will was witnessed by James Fleamont Potter and Alice Rose Longbottom nee Rook. I, Lily Jean Potter nee Evans, being of sound mind, declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me. Upon my sudden death or disappearance, I leave all worldly possessions to be done as they please to my husband, James Fleamont Potter. If he shall die before this will is read, then such an act is then passed onto Severus Tobias Snape and Sirius Orion Black. 

In the case of my son, Harry James Potter, custody is then turned fully onto James Fleamont Potter and his future spouse. If James Fleamont Potter dies before this will is read, then full custody is then passed to one of his godfathers, Sirius Orion Black or Severus Tobias Snape, or one of his godmothers, Alice Rose Longbottom nee Rook or Minerva Aileana McGonagall. If none of Harry James Potter's godparents are capable of caring for him, then he shall be passed onto his aunt, Petunia Rose Dursley nee Evans.

Lastly, I leave a trunk for Petunia Rose Dursley nee Evans, to be given to her immediately after my death."

Miss Levans puts down the paper, and Sirius was left with an empty feeling within his chest. It was so short, and not at all what he had expected of a will from the ever so expressive Lily Potter. It wasn't over, however, despite the bored gurgling of Harry who was now sitting on Peter's lap, leaning against the chubby man and staring up at the ceiling. It worried him that he wasn't even flinching at the bright light in the room.

"Next is the will of Mister James Fleamong Potter," said Miss Levans, putting Lily's will aside and bringing forth James'. 

"This will was witnessed by Lily Jean Potter nee Evans and Alice Rose Longbottom nee Rook. I, James Fleamong Potter, being of sound mind, declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me. Upon my sudden death or disappearance, I leave all worldly possessions to be done as they please to my wife, Lily Jean Potter nee Evans. If she shall die before this will is read, then such an act is then passed onto Sirius Orion Black and Severus Tobias Snape. 

In the case of my son, Harry James Potter, custody is then turned fully onto Lily Jean Potter nee Evans and her future spouse. If Lily Jean Potter nee Evans dies before this will is read, then full custody is then passed to one of his godfathers, Sirius Orion Black or Severus Tobias Snape, or one of his godmothers, Alice Rose Longbottom nee Rook or Minerva Aileana McGonagall. If none of Harry James Potter's godparents are capable of caring for him, then he shall be passed down to his aunt, Petunia Rose Dursley nee Evans."

It seemed like everyone was surprised at James' words. It was no shock that the Marauders and Severus Snape were not on the best of terms, though as of late it had leveled out to a form of tolerance with the slowly regrowing relationship between Lily and Snape. It shocked Sirius and Snape the most that not only did Lily leave both of them as godparents to take care of Harry, but James did as well. Sirius wondered if _that_ incident helped with his decision making. Any more thoughts were paused as Miss Levn continued reading.

"Upon my death, I leave all estates and vaults to Lily Jean Potter nee Evans. If she shall perish before the reading of this will, then I leave vault 147 to Remus John Lupin to do as he wishes, along with Honeysuckle Cottage estate in Ireland. I leave Peter Gregory Pettigrew vault 134 and the books within to do as he pleases. To Severus Snape, I leave Lily's private vault, given to her by myself, vault 133. I leave Sirius Orion Black my own personal vault, vault 132 to do as he pleases. Lastly, I leave the rest of my monetary possessions and estates to my son Harry James Potter, on which he shall inherit upon his majority."

Then she put the paper aside. 

"That concludes the Will Readings of Mister and Misses James Potter, on November fifth, nineteen-eighty-one at two-sixteen pm."


	2. Yellow Tulip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hellp hello!  
> On to Chapter 2 of DDB! A slow start to things, but I wanted a change of pace from the usual "Harry gets sorted, makes friends, end of year one, yippee!" kind of story line.
> 
> I have a poll posted at the end of the chapter in the notes for a chance to decide the main Harry Potter pairing for this story for when the time comes.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**tu **·lip****

/'t(y)o͞oləp/

Color: Yellow

Meaning: There's Sunshine in Your Smile

* * *

To say that those sitting in the Will Readings room was shocked would've been an understatement. To say that Sirius was dumbfounded wasn't a surprise, but Severus had a similar look on his face that made this situation feel even more unbelievable then before. Remus, Peter and Petunia were all staring at the ground in silence, still processing everything that Miss Levans had read aloud. Harry didn't seem to mind what was said all that much, much too absorbed in feeling Peter's large suit coat and seeing if it was even edible. He gnawed on the fabric, drool dripping down his chin and soaking everything it touched. Remus grabbed a few tissues that were on Miss Levans' desk before leaning over to wipe the toddler's face. Harry smiled in his direction.

"I'll leave you all alone for just a few moments to process everything," Priscella said, breaking the silence. "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask once I return." The woman got up from behind her desk and left out of the only door, leaving the five adults and one child alone in the Will Readings room.

"I can't believe that's all there was left," Sirius muttered, still staring out at the cobalt carpet. "A part of me had hoped... had hoped there would be more, you know? Maybe even something less stuffy than that..."

Remus sighed, taking the giggling Harry from Peter's slackening hands and kept wiping the child's face. Somehow a dark smudge had appeared on his cheek, probably a bit of dirt or dust that must've been attracted to the messy child. "I think we all feel that way, Sirius," he said, his voice soft and low. "As hard as this will be, there is the matter of Harry and who he'll live with."

"Yeah, somehow Snape managed to brainwash Prongs into making him godfather," Sirius sneered, glaring over at, what he thought to be, the greasy git. He had been sitting still the entire time, hardly moving and not looking at anyone, snug to sit at the edge of the line of chairs on the other side of Petunia Dursley. His hair had been hiding his face from anyone who didn't look at him straight on and it weirded Sirius out. Okay, it made Sirius extremely suspicious.

"For your information, Black," Snape looked up, eyes rimmed red and holding heat, "It came as a surprise. I had no idea that I would be godfather to anyone, let alone Potter's and Lily's child. Not after..."

"Yeah, not after _that_ , I know, it's all you ever whine about anymore, though I guess you got more moping material now that they're dead. Bet you're happy your lor--"

"Sirius!" Remus hissed, bringing attention back on him. "For once, be _civil_. Now is not the time for pretty childish rivalry. We need to decide where Harry will be living today or the Department of Child Welfare will step in and decide that neither of you are mature or ready enough to raise a child," he gave a pointed look at both Sirius and Snape, both shrinking slightly in their seats, the former feeling like he had been reprimanded by a professor.

"Since poor Alice is no longer well enough to take care Harry and Professor McGonnagal is too busy," Remus continued, "the responsibility lies on one of you or both." Sirius looked ready to burst out into another anger fit tirade, but Remus gave him another look, stronger than the first. "If it were up to me, I'd take him but knowing the Ministry and the laws against magical creatures, my input would be invalid. So either one of you takes up the reigns of responsibility or both of you."

"What would happen if Lily's son goes to someone else?" Petunia piped up, her voice quieter than Snape has ever heard from her. "Who would he be with then?"

"Maybe me," Peter quivered, "or you, since you're related and all that." Peter twisted his hands in his lap, eyes glancing up shyly at the woman. "But I don't think I'm qualified enough for it either and they probably don't want to put him with a muggle family, in case... in case he shows magic in front of more than just your family."

Petunia stiffened at the word, her eyes hardening and lips thinning at the thought. "As much as I'm sure he'd enjoy being under my roof, I believe I've had enough of... of... of _magic_. While I regret what I did to my sister, I don't think I would do anything kinder to her son."

"How nice of you to admit," Snape muttered to himself. Petunia gave him a sharp look, though he didn't flinch from her gaze. "You might lock him up in a cupboard and tell him that magic doesn't exist."

"Whoever it'll be," Remus cut in, before the conversation could turn for the worse _again_ , "they'll have to be responsible, know enough about magic and be in good relations with the Ministry. Out of all of us, none of us fit all the requirements."

Sirius was ready to come back with a retort. Of course he was mature enough, he babysat Harry enough before Lily and James went into hiding, he was a great godfather! And, well, he was quite adept at dueling, he'd teach Harry everything he'd need to know in case he's challenged while at Hogwarts!

"However," Remus continued, shifting the wiggling Harry in his lap. The little tot was beginning to frown, reaching down and kicking, wanting to be let down. Reluctantly, Remus let the toddler down, setting him on his feet so the child could walk around within the view of all five adults. "However, if I were to choose between all of us, I'd have Sirius _and_ Severus take care of Harry together."

"What?!" Sirius exploded. His outburst startled Harry, who jumped and fell back on his bum. The whole room froze, waiting for the cry that was sure to follow. They sighed in relief when Harry seemed to shrug it off and rolled over on his hands and knees, crawling this time to avoid falling again. "You can't expect me to... to.... to deal with that slimy git!"

"For once in a long while, Black, I have to agree with you," Snape sneered. "I don't think I can tolerate being alone in a room with you, much less a house with a growing child."

"Rem, you seriously can't expect us to do that, do you?" Sirius pleaded, leaping to his feet. "We can't stand each other, we'd be fighting all the time! You have to admit, that kind of environment is no way to raise a kid. Why do you think I turned out the way I did?!" Sirius was close to going on his knees at this point. 

"So that explains your atrocious behavior in school," Snape smirked. 

"Shut it, Snivellus," Sirius shot back. Snape stood up as well, angry, but Peter and Remus stepped in. All the while Petunia continued to sit, not bothering to enter an argument she had no real involvement in, though she noted down the details silently in her head, just in case. Harry, despite being startled by the loud noises, paid little attention and instead seemed more interested in feeling the walls and the carpet. Petunia made sure that, while the men had their dick measuring contest (if her mother was still alive, she was sure she'd find some way to scrub her mind clean of such filthy words), Harry didn't get too hurt. She might not be fond of the lad, but she truly didn't want the last piece of her sister to suddenly die because of a misplaced paperweight.

"Sit down, the both of you!" Remus shouted, fuse lit. He grabbed his wand and waved it at the two fuming men, ropes shooting out and wrapping around both and shoving them back into their respective chairs. "If you keep acting this way, then the Ministry _will_ find a new home for Harry and none of us will ever see him until he is of age."

That shut Sirius up, which eased Severus into silence. If Black didn't talk, Snape resigned to not speaking either.

"Thank you," Remus said. He rubbed at his temples, sure that Sirius was going to be the one to turn him prematurely grey and not any children. No, Sirius was still a child.

"As I was going to say before you were rude," he continued," if Sirius and Severus both came to an agreement to raise Harry together in a home, then I'm sure the Ministry wouldn't have too many qualms. Both wizards are fairly knowledgeable about magic, so any accidental magic wouldn't be too much of a problem. While Sirius is still immature, Severus would bring more stability in the home. And despite Severus' ex-Death Eater status, with Sirius' social standing among the community, it should erase most, if not all, issues amongst the public."

"A most intriguing solution, Mr. Lupin," Miss Levans commented as she stepped back into the room. "One I myself wouldn't mind backing if I had any say. Since I'm not in charge of the DCW, all I can say is that if that is a choice all of you can agree on, then I wish you luck on getting the Ministry to agree." If she took note of the ropes still tied around the two men, she didn't react.

Sitting back in her seat and clasping her hands back on the desk, she gave another forced smile there way. Remus went to collect a now bored Harry from the floor and placed him back in his lap as he sat on his chair as well.

"Now, while you've had some time to talk amongst each other, are there any question pertaining Mister and Missus James Potter's wills that concern either of you?" she asked.

"These vaults," Petunia spoke up. "As... as one with no magic myself, I'm not sure on what goes on with the vaults once one passes. How do they get to their new owners?"

"Great quesiton, Misses Dursley," Miss Levans said. "Before you leave this room, I shall hand you a legal form to hand to the goblins at Gringotts. From there, they shall give you all the details held within the vaults along with the key for access. However, since you don't have any vaults left to you, you have no need to worry. The trunk that Misses Potter left you shall be given to you before you leave the Ministry.

Are there any more questions?" 

There was a few seconds of silence before everyone shook their heads. "Good, well," Priscella said, standing back up, "if you do have any that happen to pop up later, feel free to schedule an appointment with me or another Will Reading Ministry employee and we'll be happy to answer them. 

Thank you for coming," she walked around the desk, shaking each adult's hand in turn, then patted Harry on his head. Remus took note that her hand rested longer on his curls than necessary.

"Thank you, Miss Levans," Remus said as he too stood up. He took off the ropes tying the two men to the chair while adjusting Harry in his arms. "We'll be sure to contact you again if any questions about the wills arise."

Priscella Levans continued to smile as the group filed out, the door shutting magically behind them. As the door closed, Sirius managed to catch shimmering writing that flashed on the door as the light hit it just right:

**_Death ends a life, not a relationship._ **

"Snape," Sirius mumbled, loud enough for the man to hear. Severus paused in his step, turning slightly to face the other man. They were standing close enough that both noticed the height difference between the two. While Sirius was at a tall height of 182 centimeters with broad shoulders and packed muscles well hidden under leather and shiny shirts, Severus seemed to still tower over him with his skinnier figure and lankier limbs that seemed shorter when he wore his drab black robes.

"What is it Black?"

"I'll do it."

"What?" Snape quirked a brow. "Do what exactly?"

"I don't like you," Sirius stated. Snape rolled his eyes, looking to retort with a sarcastic remark, but Sirius beat him to it. "I know you know that and I know you're not a big fan of me either. Especially since _that_ incident. It was my fault and I should have gotten a bigger punishment than I did, I see that now."

"I don't see where this is going Black," Snape frowned.

"What I'm trying to say is," Sirius licked his lips, throat suddenly feeling dry. "What I'm trying to say is, is that if you're willing, I'll suck it up and live in a house with you to raise Harry."

Snape's frown deepened. "What makes you think I want to raise that... poop machine?"

"You held that poop machine not too long ago with no complaints."

"He was crying, it was getting obnoxious. Of course I'll hold him if it'll get him to stop."

"In any case," Sirius stressed,"I want to be in the life of my godson. If it means having to live with my enemy, then so be it. I also, as abrupt as this may seem, want to try and make up for my asshole years."

"You mean your entire life?"

"Snape, I'm trying to be mature here."

"I see, so this is your hidden motive," Snape mused, hand resting on his chin in thought. "If you show how mature you are in the Ministry, they'll see you fit to raise the little Potter spawn yourself."

"What?" Sirius squaked, confused. "How'd you get that out of what I said?"

Snape ignored his questions. "And I can hardly let you off just like that without making you suffer just as long as you made me," he continued. "But can I deal with you long enough to see that suffering come through?" The taller man tilted his head, long dark hair shifting to fall over his left shoulder as he looked hard at the man in front of him.

"Alright, I'll live with you long enough to watch you suffer as you try to prove to the world that you're mature enough to raise Harry alone."

"Wait, what?" Sirius asked. He felt like this got out of his own hand. Snape just turned and began to follow the rest of their group that had continued on without them knowing. "Wait, suffer? Snape, I knew it! You really are a slimy little git!"

"With that attitude, I'm sure I can get Harry all to myself by the time we reach the Department of Child Welfare."

"Fuck that, we agreed on a joint custody asshole!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It would mean a lot to me if you could take this 4 question poll for the chance to add your own opinion on the future of possible ships for this fanfiction (once it gets there):
> 
> https://www.quotev.com/quiz/12783905/DBB-Harry-Potter-Pairing-Poll 
> 
> It's not mandatory, but it helps make the final decision a lot easier and more enjoyable for all of us! If you don't want to, that's fine, and instead want to comment it, that's fine too! :)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. White Carnation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who's voted on the poll I posted at the end of the last chapter! It really means a lot as it also helps my decision making. I know I should be writing this as if I was making it for myself, but I love so many pairings in Harry Potter that I just couldn't choose and would've been satisfied with all of them at once haha. But I can't write a good harem fic yet.....
> 
> Anyways, I'll be keeping that poll up for a while, so if you haven't voted yet and still want to, I'll post it again at the bottom so you don't have to go checking the last chapter for it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**car·na·tion**

/kär'nāSH(ə)n/

Color: White

Meaning: Innocence, pure love

* * *

Severus Snape found himself sitting in a pediatrician healer's office only days after the Will Readings. Besides him, Black was making god awful noises that sounded like blubbering hippogriffs as he bounced Harry around on his knee. Severus was surprised at how well Black was with the Potter Spawn, though he guessed it takes a child to know a child.

The two of them had agreed after they had successfully moved Severus into Black's flat to take Harry to a Healer who could do more than a standard procedure check. At the time, it probably should have been top priority for all wixen involved but more focus was put into celebrating the (suspiciously) confirmed death of the Dark Lord, He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named. But Black had pointed out that Harry wasn't acting like he was before the incident. Which was pretty smart for the wizard, not like Severus was going to tell him that to his face. His ego was big enough as it is.

The examination room for the healers was surprisingly muggle-like in appearance. There was a tabletop attached to one side of the wall that was high enough to reach Severus' hip and had jars full of regular medical things like tongue sticks and waste material. Below it on the other wall was a desk for the healer and nurse to sit down and be eye level with the patients sitting on the bench on that same wall. And directly in the middle was an examination table, with the standard parchment covering the plush bed. 

The nurse had already seen them in and did the regular procedures with Harry. Severus and Sirius were both relieved that Harry's temperature and reflexes were completely fine and the only outwardly damage was the lightning storm of healed cuts that spread across the left side of his face and part of his right side, and the odd coloring of his normally bright green eyes. While the nurse was qualified enough to deduce the probable cause and what could help, she had hept it to herself as it wasn't her place to give a definite answer.

A knock at the door startled all in the room. A cheery face popped out from behind the door, a large smile on his face. He was in impecably clean white healer robes that just barely grazed the floor, the bottoms of his shiny black shoes peaking out from underneath. The healer was about as tall as Sirius, though rounder and had a more cheery desposition than the entire room combined, though Severus was sure that a puppy could have more cheer than any of them.

"Hello, I'm Xander Symanski, the healer that's going to look at little Harry here," the healer said, leaning down a bit to smile over at Harry. Harry looked in his direction but his eyes strayed all over the place. Healer Symanski's smile slipped slightly. He walked over and set a clipboard down on the desk before plopping loudly on the cushioned stool.

"So, what do we owe this visit?" he asked. "Nurse Jordan told me briefly that you had some concerns about Harry's health but didn't divulge into much detail."

Severus was the one who spoke up. "We noticed that Harry hasn't been reacting... well towards certain things that a normal toddler would," he said, watching the toddler in question. 

"What kinds of things?" Healer Symanski questioned more. "Depending on your concerns, I might be able to refer you to special healers who are more qualified to diagnose and heal Harry more than I."

"We're sure that this is more of something in your field," Sirius piped up. "He can look directly at bright lights without flinching until minutes later and he seems to have a hard time focusing and following stuff with his eyes, but more than James did when he didn't wear his glasses. And, his eyes... they don't look like they did a few months ago...."

Healer Symanski was writing all of this down as Sirius spoke, nodding along as the man spoke his concerns. "I see, so did you take him to an ophthalmologist before coming here?" the healer asked. 

"We didn't necessarily think to do that first, to be honest," Sirius admitted. Severus held back a wince. That part was true. Both of them had extremely good vision and only visited the eye healer about once a year, maybe two years if they were particularly busy. So it wasn't the first thing on their mind for possible solutions.

"I see, I see," the healer hummed. "Well, I'll take a look at Harry's eyes and if there's nothing I can find, then I'll refer you to a good ophthalmologist." Healer Symanski set his quill down and stood up. "Let's set Harry over here on the examination chair over so we can get a better look."

Sirius stood and put the toddler on the parchment. Harry's face crumpled a bit and he wiggled at the strange sounds that were made as he wiggled around. Sirius made sure to keep his hands on Harry's middle, to make sure he didn't wiggle too much as Healer Symanski checked on him.

"Okie dokie," Symanski said. "Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to shine a small light from my wand near Harry's face, just to see if there's any reactions. If there is, then we shouldn't be too worried. If there isn't, well, I'll have to do a diagnosis scan to have a more in-depth look."

Sirius and Severus nodded in understanding, and quietly watched as he cast a small lumos and slowly moved it towards Harry's face. Healer Symanski made sure Harry was looking at it as well. As he inched closer, Harry didn't seem to notice the bright light at all, though he did blink quickly as he felt his eyes begin to dry up a bit. The feeling was making him uncomfortable and tears were beginning to well up in his eyes.

"Hmmm," Healer Symanski uttered, his hand rubbing on his chin. 

"What?" Sirius asked, worried.

"Well, he didn't react much to the light as I'd've hoped," Healer Symanski said. "I'll perform the diagnostic charm on him. Standard charm, won't hurt him in the slightest. If you ever broke a bone or been to a school infirmary, you would've had this charm cast on you so it's a fairly common spell to do too. Since we're focusing on his head, I'll focus the charm to check for anything abnormal that has occured from his neck up."

Another nod from the other two men was all the confirmation he was given before the healer flicked his wrist in a fluid motion three times over the raven haired boy's messy curls, a jet of purple magic falling over the toddler until it rested on every part of his head.

"Now, if there was anything wrong, it will turn a rather ugly shade of orange over the area that needs further looking into. And then depending on that spot, well, we'll have to cast a different diagnostic charm."

"That's a lot of spell for something like this," Severus spoke up. 

"Well, we can't really use any of the fancy muggle medical machines just yet, so we have to do it the long way. Luckily I have a great memory so I'm pretty good at remembering all the spells," Healer Symanski chuckled, pulling the stool over so he could sit as they waited for the charm to do it's magic. "We have a couple of ministry workers with some muggle MRI machines and other expensive machines to see if we can get them to work with magic without exploding."

Severus hummed, but didn't comment further. Sirius did his best not to look bored and confused, not knowing what an Em'Are'Eye was, but a part of him wondered if it was some kind of robot lady. A nurse, possibly?

A minute after the spell was cast, orange started to appear on Harry's face. Bright orange were scattered on the scars that decorated his face, however a puke colored orange glowed brightly on his eyes. Healer Symanski frowned. He didn't like the look of the bright orange. He usually saw that with aurors who have been on the field for years. Mad Eye Moody was quite the site for many a healer as the orange criss-crossed and varied in shade all over his body. 

"Well?" Severus asked, impatient. He had been silent for too long.

"It seems like there is indeed a problem with young Harry's eyes," he concluded. "We'll cast a quick spell, but I don't think you'd like to know what that spell entails...."

"We can handle anything at this point," Sirius said sternly. He didn't like the pitiful look the healer was now giving them, a large part of him afraid at what it could possibly be that was affecting his godson and yelling at the stubborn part of him that always wanted to be shown as strong.

"This spell checks for blindness," Symanski said bluntly. "Since the area is so small, it shouldn't take longer than a few seconds to get a confirmation. If it's as I think it is, it should turn a bright pink and then I'll be sending you home with some instructions. If not, then we should be considered lucky..."

A quick wave and this time what looked like blue glitter shot out and hit Harry in the eyes. The toddler flinched, not liking the feeling of magic hitting him so suddenly this time, his lips shaking as a whimper escaped him. Sirius rubbed his back as soothingly as he could, not taking his eyes off the blue sparkles that would show them their answer.

It turned a bright pink, as bright a pink as there could be.

"What does that mean?" Sirius asked, feeling his stomach drop.

"Mister Black, Mister Snape, Harry's completely blind," Healer Symanski diagnosed. "The bright orange that was on his scars told me that he was hit with a dark curse, leaving a curse scar on his face and making it impossible for anything to remove it. And because he was hit so close and the curse was so powerful, it must have hit him in the eyes as well as his forehead and damaged his eyes entirely."

"Is there any way to fix it?" Sirius questioned, nearly hitting a peak of stress and entering hysterics mode. 

The healer shook his head. 

"I'm sorry, but it would take a miracle for Harry's eyes to get better on their own, let alone having a medical procedure done to fix it. He'll have to learn and grow without his sight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poll I posted from last chapter:   
> https://www.quotev.com/quiz/12783905/DBB-Harry-Potter-Pairing-Poll 
> 
> Again, this isn't mandetory! If you want to do it, go ahead! :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	4. Blue Borage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be swear words in this chapter. As the mature warning on this fiction entails, it was bound to happen at some point. Just a warning for those who are too innocent for curse words and those that don't particularly like them.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**bor·age**

/'bôrij,ˈbärij/

Color: Blue

Meaning: Restore harmony, bring courage

* * *

Remus and Peter were about as shocked as Sirius felt once they told them. They had sat there in silence, as if they had just lit their entire world on fire and there was nothing they could do. Peter had a blank stare, staring at the wall holding all the pictures that Sirius and Severus had of Lily and James. Remus had taken a huge intake of breath before he leant over and rested his head on his hands, fingers running through auburn locks.

"That's the final diagnosis?" Remus asked, talking to his shoes.

"Healer Symanski floo called an ophthalmologist to come in and check on Harry for a second opinion because Black threw a temper tantrum," Severus answered. A smile threatened to tug on his lips at the memory of a slack jawed Sirius before he went into a stammering fit at the thought that the Potter Spawn ended up blind because of the killing curse. Though, he remembered he himself was extremely shocked and couldn't believe such a thing could happen, but he wasn't going to reveal that to this group of men. "Both agreed that Harry would most likely never recover his sight."

"Thank god that fucker is dead," Sirius muttered. He was sitting across from Remus and Peter on an armchair, slouched and arms crossed as he glowered at the floor like all of their problems started there. "If he wasn't, I'd go looking for him just to kill him, I swear it."

"Language," Remus scolded. "You have a child in this flat who can and will hear every word that comes out of your mouth. You swear one time in front of him and he'll copy you before you even attempt to scold him."

Sirius just rolled his eyes. Severus rolled his eyes at Black's mood. He swears that Black had extreme mood swings. In the week that he's been living here he's seen at least three different sides of Black. Sometimes he was mature, as if he was two times his actual age, but then a switch would happen and he'd be acting like a child. There was one time, however, where Sirius acted like a puppy with a new stick and that was literally because he turned into a dog and found a stick while Harry rid his back. Severus swore he suffered his first heart attack and he had plucked the giggling Harry from the dog-man and scolded him so hard Black had cowered and whimpered with his tail between his legs and moped in the corner of the kitchen for an hour, watching Severus feed Harry his lunch.

"So what's going to happen now?" Peter asked, his voice making him sound smaller than he was. Peter was the shortest out of all four of them, reaching about 176 centimeters tall. He was also the widest out of all of them, as he was chubby cheeked all through school. They had all thought that it was baby fat but once he reached his majority and still hadn't shed that fat, they figured that Peter would always be a little chubby. He did stress eat constantly, not one who dealt well with high stress situations at all, so they all secretly doubted that they'd ever see a super slim Peter any time soon.

"We'll raise him like a normal child of course," Severus answered. "He's blind, not broken. He'll have different challenges to overcome but we'll work through it." 

"It will be hard to teach him how to fly on a broom though," Sirius admitted. "Always wanted to, but I doubt it'd be a fun feeling flying without seeing where you're going."

"We'll need to think about how we're going to have him go around when he's older," Severus continued. "Muggles have service animals and sticks they wave around on the ground to help them walk around so they don't bump into anything. When he's older, we'll have to decide which would be best for him."

Sirius nodded along, but stopped when he realized what he was doing. He didn't exactly _like_ agreeing with Snape, but he had to admit that sometimes the slimy git came up with some rather good ideas and solutions. But he didn't want to give him that kind of satisfaction. It would wound his pride too much and he wouldn't be able to look at himself in the mirror. He's kicked himself plenty of times for having even brought up an agreement with the bloke, but in the end he didn't necessarily regret all of it. He still gets to be around Harry.

"Well, we'll be here if you need any help, of course," Remus said. "Whether it's just babysitting, I'm sure Peter and I wouldn't mind helping." Peter nodded quickly in agreement, looking hopeful at the other two men.

"We'll keep you in mind if we ever do need help," Severus said, nodding appreciatively at them.

* * *

"Mama," Harry said, reaching up at Severus as he changed his diapper. It had been a few months since both Harry and Severus had moved in with Sirius and the Potter Spawn was beginning to be verbal with anyone and anything that was nearby. 

"Harry, you know I'm not your mother, I sound nothing like her," Severus told him, snappng the button closed on his tiny toddler pants. Goodness gracious they were tiny. "I don't see how you keep forgetting that fact, tiny demon."

Harry just giggled, large smile gracing his cheeks and making the scars on his face seem smaller than they were. "Mama, hug," the child said, still reaching towards Severus. He was almost 2 years old now, his second birthday coming up in just three months. It was strange to think that Harry had been his charge for just six months and already he was very familiar with Harry's quirks and Harry was familiar with his own.

"I will grant you this hug, tiny demon, but I must insist that you stop calling me that," Severus sighed, helping Harry sit up so he was able to pick the toddler up with no problem. Harry wrapped his arms around Severus' neck as the man walked out of the room and headed towards the kitchen. It was Sirius' turn to make breakfast that morning and Severus had no doubt that Black would find some way to burn the kitchen down, accident or not didn't matter.

"Pa'foot! Pa'foot!" Harry yelled excitedly, hearing Sirius' voice as the man mumbled what he needed to do to himself. Severus had noticed a month in that Harry, despite having the genes of James Potter, that the toddler was quite smart for one. Not that he was around other almost-two-year-olds a lot, but from what he had seen in public and read a bit in books, Harry was easy to adapt compared to most.

In just a few weeks, Harry was able to speak a couple of words on what he wanted, like if he wanted to eat or wanted another glass of water or milk. He recognized who was who easy enough, though not always. There were times when Severus was called "Moo", a nickname that Harry called Remus whenever he visited. Severus guessed that with their similar heights that it sometimes mixed the toddler up whenever he was held by either one of them. He did have a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right. 

"Let's set you down in your chair so we can have breakfast, tiny demon," Severus told the boy, who clapped his hands happily and let go of the man so he could be put down. 

"Good morning, Har-bear," Sirius greeted, putting down the bowl of cheerios and plate of chopped up fruit in front of the raven haired child. "Didn't cause too much trouble for Mama, did you?"

"So it's you that keeps calling me that," Severus accused, walking past the other man to get his own breakfast. "Please stop or I'll find a way to make your nickname worse than it is."

"Why? He's the one that started it, I'm just encouraging it," Sirius smirked. "Keeps you annoyed enough that I don't end up liking you."

Severus rolled his eyes and set his plate at the spot next to Harry, while Sirius sat on the other side but across from Severus. An empty chair, usually reserved for guests, sat across from Harry at the circular table. 

"Anything happening today?" Sirius asked after a few minutes of silence. Sirius asked this every morning, a routine that Severus was glad Sirius had started as it allowed both of them to be able to know the schedule for that day, instead of just one knowing and the other going along in a confused state. Plus, as Sirius was now restarting his auror training, he felt better knowing where Harry would be at a certain time in case there was an emergency.

"Just the usual," Severus replied. "Harry will be having a bath this afternoon, however, as we skipped it yesterday in favor of spending more time with his new friend."

Harry wasn't Severus' only godson, it seemed, and he had other responsibilities as well on occasionally visiting the Malfoy Manor to spend some time with his other godson. 

The Malfoys were a family of proud pureblooded wixen that were apart of many social circles. Despite the head of the Malfoy family, Lucius, being a follower of You-Know-Who, many were still in favor of being on his good side as he held many hidden secrets of multiple other wixen that he could use to his advantage. His wife, Narcissa, was also not only the cousin of Sirius, but also quite a social butterfly among the other ladies of the wizarding world and couldn't stand not knowing what was going on with who at what time of the day. Severus had hardly known either of them during his schooling, as Narcissa was two years older than him and Lucius four years his senior, but during the time both Lucius and Severus were under the wing of the Dark Lord, they had come to a form of steady friendship.

Just a month before Harry was born, they had their first and only child, a boy they named Draco. And as Snape was one of the few people that Lucius and Narcissa could trust, they had named him godfather to their only child. It was a shock to them, as well, once word got out that he was raising Harry Potter alongside Sirius Black, and had instantly contacted him as soon as possible.

Sirius had thrown another fit, not liking any contact with his extended family and her family as he felt that she was just as prejudice as his mother and father were. It took weeks of correspondance and Severus Only visits to the Malfoy estate for Sirius to finally agree for a short playdate to happen between Draco and Harry. He had seen how lonely Harry was getting being the only child in the house and while he had plenty of toys to play with, he was showing signs of being quite social.

It was tense at first, as Sirius was wary of the other couple, but Harry had perked upon hearing new voices and was instantly curious. Severus, who was holding him at the time, set the toddler down and he crawled towards the voices as best as he could, bumping occasionally into some of the toys that they had accidentally forgot to pick up. Narcissa coo'd at the little boy and crocuhed down with Draco on the floor (Sirius shockingly admitted that he was surprised that the blonde woman did so, as he clearly remembered her being quite stuck up as a teen whenever he had happened to see her). 

Severus had already explained Harry's condition before their arrival, and Narcissa helped Draco introduce himself to the blind child and had happily watched the two children play together while the three men sat at the table with mugs of tea and quietly watched as well. 

They had stayed longer than was planned, though none of them had minded (Sirius had denied enjoying himself as he had ended up striking a debate between himself and Lucius Malfoy) and Harry ended up crying and throwing a bit of a fit when he learned that Draco was leaving. The tiny blond boy did as well, and they were separated as they had their own crying fits and their respective guardians apologizing to the other.

Luckily Harry ended up crying himself to sleep and both men concluded that part of the tantrum was due to exhaustion rather than just not getting his way. They quickly put him to bed and Severus noted to give Harry his bath the next day as they had missed it due to the extended playdate.

"Alright, well, I'm off," Sirius said, putting his plate in the sink. "Bye Har-Bear!" He gave a loud wet smooch on Harry's cheeks, producing another laugh from the tiny tot, and grabbed his things. "See ya later, Snape," he said to the other man, and he walked towards the fireplace to floo to the ministry. "Call me if there's an emergency," was the last thing he said before he disappeared in the green flames.

Now it was just Snape and Harry, alone in the flat. Harry finished his breakfast quickly with no problems and Severus cleaned off their table and cleaned Harry's face as fast and efficient as he could before carrying him to the living room. There, he set the child down so he could play with his toys for a bit while Severus sat and read his newest potions book, relaxing in the quiet of the home. 


	5. Blue Salvia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I feel like I'm focusing a lot on this story than others but I'm really feeling this plot more than the others. Doesn't mean I'm just gonna drop the other fanfictions I have, I'll get to them eventually, but for now I think I'll push out as many chapters for this as I can before I burn out.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**sal·vi·a**

'salvēə

Color: Blue

Meaning: Thinking of You

* * *

"Mama Sev," Harry called out, feet hanging off of the bed. He had been sitting there for at least five minutes (kid time) waiting for the man to return back to his side. The little five year old wiggled his toes as they chilled in the air. "I'm ready!"

"Child, you are not even close," Severus's voice was suddenly closer than Harry had thought. "You don't even have socks on."

Harry huffed, pouting as he crossed his arms. "I think someone hid my socks on me again." In truth, he himself had lost the pair of socks that Severus had placed next to him on the bed. He had wanted to dress himself that morning and eagerly accepted the clothes that his Mama Sev chose for him. He had put shorts on just fine the second time around, struggled a bit with the button, and he was sure that the shirt was facing the right way this time around. His socks just so happened to have got up and wandered off. Like magic.

Severus sighed but couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his treacherous lips. The pair of black socks had fallen to the floor next to the shoes Harry had wanted to wear that day. Clearly the dark haired child didn't look too hard.

"I guess you don't get socks today, then," Severus smiled, crouching in front of Harry and picking up the shoes. "Stinky feet it is.'

"No!" Harry shrieked, pulling his feet back on the bed. He pulled the comforter to cover his feet, as if that would hide them better than any invisibility cloak. "I don't want stinky feet!"

"Then we need to find your socks," Severus explained. "Where do you think they might be?" Harry frowned but didn't speak up.

Over the past few years, upon raising the tiny boy, it became clear that despite his disability, the kid was stubborn and had a hard time accepting help. It was strange for a child to adopt such an attitude right off the bat, but one night Sirius, surprisingly, had an epiphany. Harry had noticed how Sirius and Severus weren't working together unless they needed to and how neither of them had asked the other for help. And on the rare chance they did, Harry didn't happen to be around to hear it. Both had sucked up their pride and stowed it in a cupboard so they could show Harry that it was alright to ask for help. That way, no stinky feet needed to grace its presence in the Black-Snape-Potter household.

"I don't know, maybe you can use magic to find them?" Harry asked, hopeful. Despite his sight being taken from him, his other senses had become ten times stronger. He could smell, hear and feel better than any other person they came upon, but what always impressed Severus was the ability to feel the waves of magic that rolled off each incantation. And Harry knew how much it impressed him and used it as much as he could.

"Is that how we get what we want?" Severus asked. Harry went back to pouting on his bed, a toe peeking out from underneath the blankets. 

"Can you please use magic to find them?" he asked begrudgingly, speaking into his chest. His hands were folded in his lap, a pout on his lips as he did as his Mama Sev asked of him. 

Severus smiled, reaching down to pick up the rolled up socks on the carpet and held them up in Harry's line of vision. "Found them." The grin that spread on Harry's cheeks was irresistible, though he pouted again, this time looking directly at Severus.

"You didn't use magic," he stated pointedly, sounding accusatory, as if Severus had committed a serious crime instead of solving a ~~serious~~ regular problem. Severus rolled his eyes but the small smirk didn't leave his face as he rolled each sock on Harry's naked feet. 

"I didn't need to this time around," he responded. "Maybe next time I'll need to. But for now, you'll have to deal with no sock magic." He helped Harry hop down onto the floor, patiently watching Harry put his shoes on, proud that this time around Harry got them on the right feet the first time around. 

"Anything happening today?" Harry asked, holding onto the hand Severus offered towards him. They left the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. The new house elf, Iggy, was finishing up breakfast as they entered, the old elf brightening up at the two wizards and ushered them to their seats.

Severus nodded. "We were invited to a playdate this afternoon, so we'll be going to someone's home." He pushed Harry's chair closer to the table before he sat down in the chair next to him. "Do you remember the rules on what we do in someone else's home?"

The little boy nodded excitedly, digging his spoon into the bowl of oatmeal and taking a large bite. He answered Severus after he chewed and swallowed. "No running around inside the house," he stated, holding up a finger," no shouting, be polite always. Say please, thank you, you're welcome, and excuse me to everyone, especially if they're still new."

Severus smiled and congratulated the little tyke before he too dug into the eggs and bacon that were presented before him. It wasn't the first time that Harry had had a playdate with someone new. Ever since Harry and Draco got along, that meant Harry began meeting Draco's other friends and vice versa. He had been invited to the Parkinsons, where the rules had actually been established in the first place. Severus had been embarrassed when he saw Harry running through the marbled halls as he and Pansy played a game of tag, screeching like a howler monkey and demanding stuff. Of course, he had only been two at the time and only said a couple of sentences, but it was still something that made Severus shudder every time he thought about it. Sirius, who had heard about it after his auror training, burst out in laughter and began to encourage the behavior before he was smacked upside the head by Snape. 

After the disaster (in Severus' opinion) at the Parkinson estate, he made sure that the playdates thereafter were much more well behaved for a two year old to do. Or, as close as can be for Severus to understand. He did a better job at the Nott's playdate and even better at Goyle and Crabbe's joint playdate. During each playdate, it was beginning to show that Harry was a social butterfly, very much like his father had been and it soured Severus' mood at times. Though, there were times that he was reminded of Lily.

Like the time little Pansy, aged three, had tripped and fell the rest of the way down the steps when she was visiting the Black-Snape-Potter flat. She had landed hands first and then crumpled, tumbling the rest of the way. Sirius and Mrs. Parkinson were the closest and immediately rushed towards the little girl, who had begun to whimper, but Harry, who was behind her on the stairs, got their first. He patted her head and said something in toddler gibberish, gaining little Pansy's attention and immediately stopping her tears. The adults watched, standing still, and Mrs. Parkinson cooed at the sight as Harry did his best to console the older girl. 

Or the time when Gregory Goyle, at four years old, pushed Vincent Crabbe and Harry immediately swooped in (like literally, he had his arms spread out and and he had pretended to fly in. "Like an owl, Mama Sev!" he cried gleefully.) and began scolding the taller boy before anyone else could.

Each instance that reminded Severus of his dear friend Lily made every occurance of his nemesis James disappear just a little bit more. He was sure Sirius was having a ball teaching Harry everything mischievous thing he and his little group did, with Remus and Peter unwillingly going along whenever they visited, and didn't mind Harry seeming like James. 

"Where are we going?" Harry asked. "Is it Draco? Or Pansy? Or maybe Theo, haven't seen him in a bit." When Harry said Theodore Nott's name, it brought an unconscious quirk to his lips. The heavy emphasis on "The" extended in Harry's vocabulary, making "Theo" sounding like "Theeeeeo". It was cute.

"It's a new friend, actually," Severus admitted. "You haven't met them yet, but I know that their mum wanted to meet you as soon as you were born." 

Harry pulled a face, scrunching his nose. It resembled a grimace, but it didn't look at all like the face Harry pulled when brussel sprouts were put into his field of vision. "That's weird."

"How so?" Severus questioned.

Harry said," How did she know when I was born and why does she want to meet me? I haven't heard of her until now and she wants to meet me?"

"You remember how your mom and dad died, right?" Severus asked. Harry nodded. "And you remember what happened when the curse landed on you, right?" Harry nodded again. "Well, when that happened, you became very famous as the only person to survive that curse. You were in newspapers for a while, so many people know who you are and some of the basic things about you."

"Do they know my favorite colors?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so, but they know when you were born and when your parents died and other things like that. So this mummy knew you more off of the newspapers, but she also knows Draco's mummy and daddy and she knew Sirius for a little bit before your mummy and daddy died." Severus did his best to explain to the five year old, unsure if he was really qualified.

"Unca Siri knows her?" Harry perked up. 

"He knew her for a little bit," Severus answered. 

"So, will he be there then?" he asked.

"He might. He has work today so he might be home late instead," Severus replied. After a year of training, Sirius managed to gain the position, of what Severus "lovingly" called, grunt work. He had been doing so for the past two years or so and it sometimes meant that the man came home later than what he had said that morning.

They finished their breakfast quickly after that and continued with their day until after lunch, where Severus bundled Harry up in a jumper and they left the house to apparate to the playdate.

The house was a bit scattered and asymmetrical and seemed to climb towards the sky. There were windows in various shapes and sizes, the largest being near the bottom where the two wizards saw bustling red heads rushing about, one of the sides opened to let in the cool brush of air into the house. The house was in the center of a large field, tall grass sprouting from puddles and gnomes bustled about through the weeds and hopped over rusty bins and tools left laying near a a smaller building that must've been a shack.

"Oh I'm so glad you can make it!" a voice called out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to end this chapter that what J.K. Rowling has said on social media within the last few years does not describe the fandom as a whole. I grew up within the Harry Potter community to the point that I remember getting excited to stay up until midnight just so I can attend the midnight release for both the 6th and 7th books even though I wasn't even 8 years old yet. I KNOW that there are thousands of more accepting people that make extremely powerful fanworks within this fandom that overpower any hurtful words that Rowling has said and any hurtful actions she has done. 
> 
> I hope everyone is being safe during these times and if there are any problems, know that there are resources and people who are willing to lend an ear or even willing to help in anyway they can.


	6. White Orchid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rn I'm icing the back of my knee due to a possible cyst and trying to do something to distract myself from thinking about the swollen part of my body by writing while listening to YouTube! I had no other references on hand so I decided "Eh, I'm already working hard on this fanfiction so on my down time, let's focus on it more despite the fact that I have what feels like thousands of others that I haven't updated since 2019 lol."
> 
> But seriously, who's complaining at this point?
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**or·chid**

/'ôrkəd/

Color: White

Meaning: Innocence, purity, reverence

* * *

Molly sighed as she finished the last of the dishes, scrubbing the last of the suds away with a now damp cloth before setting it on a nearby rack to finish drying near the open window. She didn't clean the Muggle way often; growing up in a magical family one gets used to flicking a wand and letting magic do the hard work. However, Molly had found out early on in her marriage to Arthur that scrubbing, dusting, and doing any type of chore without magic helped relieve her of worries and allowing herself to be distracted just a little bit at a time.

Today was no exception.

She was nervous, antsy, anxious, edgy, however one wants to describe it, she needed her hands to do something, to move around in some way to allow the constant repetition to relax her as much as it could before she entered the eye of the storm that was no doubt to occur at some point every day. 

Today was a day where a very special guest was going to visit for a regular playdate. That's exactly what it'll be, a regular, normal, non-magic filled playdate. There is no way anything magical will happen in this house on this day, just in case there happened to be some form of magical accident that could scare their very special, very _normal_ guest. 

Of course, Harry Bloody Potter (Molly scolded herself for using such language in her own head, out of habit) wasn't considered anything but special these last few years, all things considered. However, after she received a letter back from his guardians explaining everything they could via owl, she had to remind herself that he was as normal as her own children.

She was still hesitant though. Molly had never really been around someone who had lost their sight. She had heard stories from friends, who had talked about friends of friends who had been hit by a curse that caused some form of vision loss, but this felt much different. She was unsure how Harry, not even six yet, would handle being around multiple other children with a habit for accidental magic. Molly wasn't even sure if Harry had done any himself, unsure if accidental magic worked differently with a child who grew up without their sight.

She was sure, however, that he could run around just as well as Bill could, talk just as eloquently as Percy, laugh just as boisterous as Charlie, be just as sneaky as her darling twins George and Fred, just as caring as Ron and just as curious as her dear Ginny. He was, after all, still just a child. Molly had to constantly remind herself of that. 

The familiar pop of apparation and the alert of others within the Weasley household wards snapped Molly out of her worried musings. She quickly wiped the last of the water that was surely on her hands, threw the towel onto the counter and did her best to _walk_ out the door to greet their guests. If she rushed a little to the point of almost running, she would be sure to keep that to herself. She didn't need George or Ron pointing out that she's running in the house (which was against the rules, of course). 

Standing in the middle of the recently de-gnomed garden stood a tall man with long black hair pulled away from his face, large nose the prominent feature on his slim pale face. He wore a long turtleneck shirt and dark jeans underneath a long black wool cloak. In a sense, he would've been intimidating to most if it weren't for the tiny hand holding his like a lifeline.

Molly allowed her eyes to follow the hand to the small boy, who couldn't have been any taller than Ginny. Dressed in a snug jumper and shorts, the messy Potter hair couldn't have been mistaken. Little Harry was shrinking against the leg of Severus Snape, holding tight to the larger hand in his, and she couldn't help but be reminded of her Percy when he was that age.

"Oh I'm so glad you could make it!" she called out, a large smile on her face. "I was getting a bit worried. You never know if something could happen, especially with young children.Especially if you knew how much trouble my own can cause." She chuckled a bit at that, nerves getting the best of her. 

"Good afternoon, Molly," Severus greeted, nodding politely. "If there were indeed any troubles, I'm sure I would've alerted you before our arrival." The silence that followed wasn't necessarily completely uncomfortable, but to say it wasn't tense would be an understatement. So Molly focused on the one thing she knew she was good at.

"So you must be Harry, right?" she said. Harry nodded shyly, his free hand gripping onto Severus' robes. "My name is Molly. I'm the mummy whose children wanted to play with you." 

"...It's nice to meet you, Molly..." she heard him say. "You have a lot of magic around your house."

"Pardon?"

Harry shoved his face into the wool robes, shrinking closer to his guardian as he did his best to hide from the new voice. Severus merely rolled his eyes quietly, knowing that any verbal sound of displeasure would shy Harry further away from making friends. Despite being a social butterfly, like most children, Harry was always unsure of what he should do upon meeting them for the first time and shyly tried to please Severus or Sirius before anything else. It was a habit that Severus hopes Harry would eventually outgrow, but until then the two adults watched their tone when it came to Harry meeting new people.

"...you have a lot of m'gic 'round your house..." Harry repeated, his voice muffled through the fabric. Molly looked up at Severus for some form of parental explanation.

Severus, this time, couldn't hold back the sigh that escaped his lips. He only hoped it was silent enough that Harry didn't hear, and if he did then he hopes that he doesn't take it as a sign of disappointment or exasperation. He should have, however, included the extra tidbit about Harry's blindness to Molly before they arrived.

"Despite the fact that Harry is legally blind and can no longer see visible shapes and colors like you and I," Severus said, "we believe that due to the powerful magic that entered his eyes during _that_ night allowed him the ability to sense and 'see' magic residue in some way. Harry is likely 'seeing' the old and powerful wards that surround The Burrow and has been distracted by them since arriving. We don't have much magic around the house."

"Oh, will that be a problem then, having to stay here with that much magic clogging his senses?" Molly asked. She had never heard of a blind wixen being able to see some form of magic. Of course, none of those blind wixen managed to defeat a powerful dark lord at such a young age and got away almost scottfree. 

The dark haired man shook his head. "It takes Harry a few minutes to adjust, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem," Severus clarified, assuring the red haired woman of her worries.

"Oh good," Molly's smile returned to her face. "Then, please, come in. The boys and Ginny have been excited to meet you. Of course, Bill and Charlie are at Hogwarts right now, so you'll meet them a bit later if you'd like, but the others have been talking nonstop about playing with you, Harry." She ushered the two into the large wooden house, through the kitchen and into the small living room, where one other child was already present.

He couldn't be older than six or seven, with Weasley red hair and freckles that dotted his skin like stars. He wore a knitted maroon sweater, which he kept fidgeting with every few seconds, pulling at the threads near his sleeves. He pulled until he was satisfied and focused back on the puzzle that was on the floor in front of him, not even reacting to the thread he had just pulled out knitted itself back into the sleeve. 

Harry had been dazed, feeling the warmth of the magic inside the house wash over his skin. It was different, compared to the other houses he had visited. His own home barely had any magic, the only places he could feel and see it is where his Uncle Sirius and Mama Severus visited the most, like their rooms or the hidden potions lab behind the bookcase that they think Harry didn't know about. Draco's home felt powerful, deep and held a lot of magic on the walls. He liked to run through the halls, fingers dragging along the wall as the magic tickled at his fingertips and raced down his arms. Gregory and Vincent had similar homes as Draco, though the magic there was a bit weaker. However, in some places, there seemed to be cold spots, bits of magic that made Harry shiver. He avoided those spots in the Goyle and Grabbe manors as much as he could when he visited. Pansy's house felt the closest to the warmth that the Weasley's house did. It tingled pleasantly, like stepping into a bath after spending all day playing in dirt. However, as similar as it was, the warmth of magic at the Parkinsons still paled in comparison to the magic here.

A sudden burst of tiny magic took Harry's attention away from the surrounding magic from the house. His glazed eyes zeroed in on a string curling around something, happening so fast that Harry was surprised he even was able to catch it. He was so intrigued about the tiny bit of magic that he didn't notice Severus stepping away to sit on the couch, Molly shuffling away to get tea and calling down the rest of her children. He knew, somehow, that there was someone attached to that little magic worm, the tiny magic snake, a string really, and he was curious.

He inched closer, stealing whatever courage he had in his tiny body to speak in front of the new child. A part of him hoped that it would be as easy as it was with Draco, though he could hardly remember that encounter though it's been told to him multiple times.

"Hullo," Harry said, his voice quiet. "I'm Harry."

The other child didn't react to his words, reaching back to his sleeve and pulling at the irritating string once again. Harry watched, amazed, as it shrunk back, the magic correcting the stitching within seconds. 

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the magic string.

This time the other boy glanced up, blue eyes meeting dull green. He seemed to silently study the black haired boy, taking in the glazed look in the eyes before turning back to his puzzle. 

"It's itchy and I don't like it," he mumbled, putting a piece into the complicated puzzle. It was a mess of colors, though some parts looked like a horse while others looked like a train. Severus, who was watching the two interact as Molly handed him a mug, was surprised to see so many pieces for a child so young.

"So you pull it?"

"Yeah, and then it goes back. I don't like wearing this sweater, but mummy says it's the nicest one I got, so I gotta wear it," the boy answered. He put another piece in it's place.

"I'm sure you look nice in it," Harry said.

It was quiet again between the too, the boy content to focus on his puzzle and Harry watching as the string kept being pulled out and then knitting back into place every other minute. During this time, Fred and George came tumbling down the stairs, though their loud racket didn't distract the two from what they were doing. Percy followed soon after, taking up a spot next to his mother with a thick book in his hands. Ginny, the only other girl in the house, stayed up in her room, not wanting to meet _the_ Harry Potter just yet despite her mother constantly telling her that Harry Potter was just another child that wanted friends to play with and she shouldn't feel too shy. 

In any case, the two were so focused that Severus decided that he should probably do some small talk with Molly, or at least attempt to do some small talk with the older woman.

"How old is he?" he asked, the only question coming to mind. He set his tea on the coffee table in front of him, sitting stiffly on the edge of the arm chair.

Molly took a sip of her own tea before answering. "He just turned six last month. Already getting so old, my little Ron..."

"And, is the string pulling what he normally does?" 

Molly nodded. "Yes, ever since he was a baby he had an aversion to certain materials. Wool is his least favorite but it's the easiest I can get a hold of these days, but I know how much he hates wearing it so I don't have him put his sweaters on all the time. Luckily my mother taught me a reknitting charm so just a little tweak and it can be made as permanent as possible."

"It's an... interesting habit, I must say," Severus admitted. "I haven't really seen one like it before. And never have I seen one so focused on such a complicated looking puzzle."

"Ah," Molly sighed. "Ron is a special child, that's for sure. Doesn't want to run around with his brothers all that often and enjoys puzzles and building by himself more than anything. It's almost like I have two Percy's, it's quite nice."

Severus hummed to himself, deciding not to comment, and continued to watch the two boys interact, the twins slowly mingling into their little network and somehow getting both Harry and Ron to go outside for a bit to see the gnomes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that in the books Harry is average male height and it's possible that Lily and James were both rather tall, BUT! I must remind you, boys didn't shoot up like beanstalks until around 9 or 10 so please bear with me. Harry won't be short forever. :)


	7. Red Columbine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short introduction to one Hermione Granger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone's enjoying the last few moments of 2020. Just a few more months and we'll be in 2021. I wonder if quarantine will be lasting through that as well. I also wonder if my work will close again between now and January. 
> 
> Also, since it's election day for the US, I want everyone to say safe and make smart choices. I've heard some unsettling things about a possibility of what may or may not happen if the democratic party wins and I don't want anyone to get hurt because some people were salty that their choice didn't win. Of course, that's going to happen either way, but I still want everyone to be safe.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**co·lum·bine**

_ /ˈkäləmˌbīn/ _

Color: Red

Meaning: Anxious, Trembling

* * *

Hermione glanced around the playground. Girls giggled as they clapped hands while they jumped and did fancy footwork, the skip rope just barely gracing the pavement below their temporary floating forms. Other children, in the same dark maroon tartan uniforms, ran and skipped around the schoolyard, others playing on the small metal play structures that dotted the playground. Everyone had been playing with at least one other person, if not more, while Hermione stood just outside the playground doors to the all girls primary school. 

She had tried, earlier that semester, to make some new friends. It had almost been a full year that she's been attending St. Bronach Catholic School for Girls, and yet she was still seen as the weird girl in Year 1 for preferring to stay in the library during free time then outside playing skip rope or hopscotch. It wasn't that she didn't  _ like _ playing those things, but it was difficult for her.

Sometimes when she jumped or skipped or even ran, her earpiece would jostle or fall out entirely. It was fine, at first, and she even thought she gained a few friendships during her first few weeks at St. Bronach's but soon the other girls got frustrated with her, no longer finding the shiny new toy as interesting as they originally thought. Some showed obvious disappointment when they found that her hard of hearing wasn't caused by some sort of explosion or car crash. 

So by October she had been spending most of her recess in the library as much as she could. The librarian didn't mind, but on sunny days she was forced to play outside by the old lady to get "some fresh air and vitamin D". Her opinion on that didn't matter to the woman. Today was one of those rare sunny days in October, and Hermione felt absolutely miserable.

The only upside to this sunny day was that the benches that rested just under the school's large windows were vacant, as the other children took the sun as a chance to do whatever fun things the rain prevented them from doing: chalk drawings, going down the slide, non-slippery monkey bar tricks and other fun things. Hermione didn't find most of those fun, especially the slide as it got extremely hot under the sun and burned the back of her knees whenever she slid down. So instead, she made her way to sit idly on the benches, skirt neatly folded under her while her legs swung back and forth, her hands gripping the chapter book she brought from home. 

She was very happy to use the sun as a good light source to find out what would happen to Wilbur at the fair and what Charlotte would do to help. Of course, this was her third time reading _Charlotte's Web_ , but she always liked to pretend that it was her first time through.

A shadow fell over her, blocking out the sun over her book. Hermione looked up, a bit disgruntled and confused. One of the recess teachers, one that was familiar enough with most of the students from what Hermione had deducted, had a frown upon her wrinkled cheeks, a stern look that Hermione was beginning to be familiar with herself. It was a look her own teacher was showing, a look of misunderstanding and frustration that didn't spell good news. Why this woman was making this face at her made Hermione think back on every action she's done since she's been forced to interact with other children in the outside world.

"Miss Granger," she started. Her voice came out very shrill and unnerving, though loud enough for the bushy haired girl to hear well enough without having to stare at her face for too long. "I'm sure you are very much well aware at this point, but books are not allowed out on the play area." She tilted her head down, her eyes wide and staring intently at the child as if willing for her to magically understand her words.

Hermione stared up, wide eyed. "I've never had a problem with it before," she whispered, clutching her chapter book closer to her body. "The other recess attendants don't mind. They never said it was against the rules..."

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger," she didn't sound very sorry, "but that book will be with me until the end of recess." She reached down to grab the book from the seven year old, who moved back to avoid her hand. The attendant and Hermione were both shocked at her behavior but Hermione recovered quicker. 

She bolted from the recess attendant, _Charlotte's Web_ held to her chest as if her life depended on it. She ducked and weaved through the other girls, even once going under the metal structure before she somehow found herself back in the library, despite the locked doors. Hermione didn't really mind, folding herself over the book in the corner besides one of the long bookshelves. 

She would shelter there until the bell rang, where she melted back into the throng of girls heading back to their lessons, glancing outside to see if that recess teacher was still looking for her.

* * *

"How was school today, Pumpkin?" her mum asked once she clambered into the back of the car. Hermione set her bag on the seat besides her, buckling herself in as she was taught.

"Fine," Hermione gave the same answer she had been since the start of the semester. If her parents noticed, they didn't comment. At least, not loud enough for her to hear. 

Her mother gave a large smile through the rear view mirror. "Anything interesting happen today?"

Hermione couldn't help but think back to what happened on the playground. On how mean the recess attendant was. On suddenly appearing in the one safe haven she had available to her at school when the other little girls were too mean or insufferable.

"We're beginning to plan for our Halloween party," was what she said instead. She didn't want to worry her mother as is. They hadn't been living in London for long, only 10 months, but it was long enough for Hermione to be aware how tough it was to make a living in the city. Her parents and extended family always praised her for being observant, but it was a double edged sword for both parties. Hermione worried about how her parents are staying afloat and affording their flat as dentists, even if she didn't know how much they earned. In that sense, she knew that they were worried about the random surges of strangeness that had begun to occur around the house.

Sometimes a plate that was broken was suddenly mended in the blink of an eye, or a book that Hermione wanted to read before bed was pulled from the shelf as if it were a ghost (though, honestly, that was impossible as ghosts _didn't_ exist!) and on occasion she swears when she jumps her body hovers above the floor for a few seconds longer than necessary.

Hermione knew that these worried her parents, though they were more wondering if their flat was haunted by some friendly ghost of some sort, but they were skittish of it as is. She didn't want to worry them further that it was probably her making these strange things happen and cause more stress for her parents on having a magic filled deaf girl for a daughter.

The bushy haired girl shook those thoughts out of her head, focusing back on the conversation at hand.

"And we've begun to practice our holiday carols for the winter concert in music class."

"My, you had an exciting day today, huh?" her mother chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess," Hermione pretended to agree. Turning to focus out the window, she watched buildings and cars pass by as she continued to worry about what had occurred earlier that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> St. Bronach Catholic School for Girls does not actually exist. It does for this fiction. And Hermione started in the middle of Kindergarten, and is currently in first grade.


	8. Orange Osmanthus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to mix the pot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, it feels, but I've been having the motivation to write while I'm away from my laptop that by the time I get home, I'm too tired to do anything other than read while laying listlessly in bed haha.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**os·man·thus**

_ /äzˈman(t)thəs/ _

Color: Orange

Meaning: Optimism, Joy, Serenity

* * *

Harry was excited. It wasn't often that he managed to convince not only Uncle Sirius but also Mama Sev to be allowed to invite his friends over for a playdate that lasted throughout the night. Draco called them sleepovers and claimed he had them all the time, but Harry sometimes felt that his friend wasn't telling the entire truth about that. But that's besides the point.

At seven, just after dinner, not only would Draco, Vincent and Gregory be coming over for a sleepover, but Ron, Fred and George would be as well. The Weasley boys and Harry had met several times over the last few months, even inviting Harry to Platform 9 and 3/4 as they sent Percy off to his first year at Hogwarts with Charlie and Bill on the famed maroon train. Harry couldn't see the train in particular, but he could see the swirl of magic that plagued the train, the swirls of bright luminescent colors with names he couldn't identify. He rather enjoyed the bright colors that reminded him of the feel of autumn, the wind ruffling his hair; the colors that reminded him of warm hugs from Pansy, curling up next to Mama Sev on a cold January afternoon by the fire, the laughter between Uncle Sirius and himself when their roughhousing turned into a tickle fight. 

Now it was the middle of November, enough time since September for another get together with Harry's friends for Severus to prepare for. This time, Harry wanted all of his friends to come, not just some. However, Severus and Sirius wondered if such a thing would be possible, considering how hostile some families could be with old feuds. It was a miracle to the wizarding world that Sirius and Severus were able to get along for this long, the amazement in the eyes of passerby still evident. They knew that Lucius might not take it well to know that the Weasleys were invited as well. If it slipped their minds to let the man know, well that wasn't entirely their fault.

What he didn't know wouldn't necessarily hurt him.

"Are they almost here yet?" Harry questioned, bouncing in his seat. He had a beard of pasta sauce, a stray piece of noodle resting on the dimple of his chin. Harry looked utterly ridiculous and like the child he was. 

"Not yet, Harry," Severus answered. "Finish your dinner please. They'll be here then." He resisted the urge to wipe Harry's face with a napkin. The child could easily do that on his own, now. 

Harry pouted. "It's taking forever! Even Unca Siri is faster at getting home." Said man looked up from his own plate of pasta, slurping a noodle into his mouth before grinning wolfishly. Severus rolled his eyes.

"Sirius gets home faster because he tries to avoid doing things at work he doesn't like. Your friends, I hope, are better than that. And you'll do the same," he responded, getting up and disposing the rest of his food in the trash, his plate going into the sink to be washed later.

The pout on Harry's face didn't disappear until he finished his own dinner and wiped his face clean, hopping off his chair and carefully putting his dish away. Then he immediately turned around and asked again.

"Har-Bear they'll be here any moment," Sirius answered this time. "Why don't you go up and play in your room while you wait."

"I want to be here for when they come! It's only what a proper host would do," Harry replied.

"We'll let you know when they come and you can meet them when they do," Sirius said. Harry reluctantly agreed and walked up the stairs to his room. They heard the door creak close, but not click, Harry leaving the door open enough to hear if they call for him.

Sirius shook his head. "I wonder how that boy has any patience," he said, a small quirky smile on his lips. The dark haired man got up from the table as well, clearing his space and making his way to sit on the couch in front of the floo, some paperwork from work already piled on the coffee table in front of his spot.

Severus glanced over, already sitting on the love seat adjacent from the couch, a cuppa in hand and a book in the other. "He had to learn it from someone and it certainly wasn't me," was his only response.

Sirius pouted but didn't bother the issue further, which surprised Severus. Each day it felt like Severus was seeing the mature side of Sirius more and more and the childish side was slowly dying away. He was... unsure how he felt about that. In a way, it was a relief. No longer the taunts that haunted him even in his dreams, replaced by compliments that felt somewhat genuine despite any double meaning that could obviously be hidden there. Sirius was, after all, raised in a family of Slytherins and Purebloods. He was taught how to say things that would seem polite in the public eye but was a direct insult no matter what. Severus had to learn that while in school, as he had grown up mostly with muggles, who were very blunt with their insults and quick to anger.

Severus looked up from his book and glanced over at Sirius on the couch. He was hunched over his paperwork, nearly sliding off the seat. His brows furrowed as his eyes read over the words, quill scratching lightly on the parchment as he filled out his reports. Severus watched as a tongue peaked out and licked his lips, darting back in as Sirius started to unconsciously worry his lower lip between his teeth.

The floo flared and snapped Severus out of his staring, his face feeling warm and his hands a bit slick with sweat. He didn't understand where any of this was coming from, but stood up and set his book and cup down, welcoming the guests now stepping through the green flames. 

Lucius stepped out first, followed by a trio of boys who lugged bags in each hand and grins on their faces. Vincent and Greg were carrying two suitcases that looked about as heavy as they were, while Draco had a silk pillow and a smaller suitcase in his arms.

"I believe I have a delivery of children for you, Severus," Lucius chuckled, watching as the boys quickly dusted off and ran towards Harry's room, the flat already memorized by the boys. "Excuse me, Draco, are you forgetting something?" Lucius asked, his hands resting on his cane in front of him.

"Bye father! Thank you!" Draco called back, not even pausing up the stairs as he led the two other boys. "I'll see you tomorrow!" And then they were gone.

Lucius gave another chuckle before turning his full attention on his school friend. "I see you'll have your hands full this evening. Hopefully they won't be too much of a hassle. If they are, I'm sure Narcissa wouldn't mind stopping by to help put them to sleep."

"Thank you, Lucius," Severus began, "but I'm sure you'll enjoy your night without having to come back to try and control the demon spawn you're getting a vacation from." A smile on his face let the other man know of his teasing. 

"Have fun then," Lucius nodded. "I'll pick the boys up before ten tomorrow, as I'm sure they'll try and stay up as long as possible this evening." He gave a polite nod in Sirius' direction before twisting his heEl and apparating out of the flat.

Just in time, too, as Arthur Weasley stepped through the floo with an equally excited trio of redheaded boys. Fred and George, while Severus had difficulty telling either apart, were jumping on their toes as they looked around the flat in awe, reminding Severus that the twins had never exactly been to their home. Ron had, once, for a playdate over the summer, so to the twins this was new land, new features, and new ways to get in trouble.

"Sorry if we're late," Arthur apologized. "Molly and I _just_ managed to get their things packed and food in their bellies before they started grabbing at the floo powder to come here themselves." The ginger wizard gave a deep laugh, handing one of the bags to each of the boys before patting their shoulders goodbye.

"It's quite alright, Mr. Weasley," Severus responded. "I'm sure Harry wouldn't have minded if you were late as long as he got to see his friends in the end."

"I'd love to stay and chat but I left Molly with Ginny, who'S throwing a bit of a fit on not being able to go," Arthur stated quickly. "Had to tell her that when she's six she can have sleepovers too, but I'm sure you understand how young children can be sometimes..."

"Of course. Have a good evening, Mr. Weasley," Severus nodded, and Arthur Weasley was off with a snap, heading back to The Burrow where his wife and daughter were still in a rather loud discussion about why Ginny couldn't go with her brothers to their sleepover. 

Sirius and Severus were once again left in silence with only themselves in the living room, Sirius paused in his reports during the quick minutes with each child dropping off.

"Oh no," Sirius stated, snapping out of the silent state. "We forgot to let Harry know that his guests were here."

Severus sighed. "It's too late to fix that now. We'll just have to bear with the complaints later, of course."

The two continued to sit silently and work on their separate pieces. Both knew that Iggy, their house elf, was keeping an eye on Harry and his friends while the two were downstairs. Both were sure that, in case something happened, the elf would get one of them as soon as possible, considering how seven boys, one of which couldn't see anything other than traces of magic, could get bumps and scrapes easily at their age.

The first time one of them went up to personally check on the sleepover, Sirius was putting his paperwork away in his work case, which he had left in his room. While on the way there, he decided to peak into Harry's room to see how it was going.

Sitting on the bed were Draco and Ron, in what appeared to be, an intense game of wizard's chess. George, Greg and Vincent were in a deep discussion about something Sirius couldn't hear beyond high pitched whispers and giggles. Harry and Fred were sitting in Harry's reading nook, curled on the bean bag as Fred read one of Harry's books out loud. Overall, the room wasn't a disaster with the mix of children from different social classes.

The small amount of worry Sirius had been stewing over all day eased away and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he continued his way to his room. On the way back, he glanced back in to see the same scene, this time George had moved to watch Ron and Draco's game of chess while Vincent and Greg listened to Fred's story.

"How are they?" Severus asked, looking into the room as well while also startling Sirius. The man had snuck up quietly behind him. 

"They're getting along better than expected," Sirius answered truthfully. He stepped out of the way, so Severus could look into the room better, and continued downstairs.

Severus joined him back into the living room a few minutes later, both sitting silently and enjoying it more than they liked to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to do some math for this chapter:
> 
> AT THIS POINT OF THIS CHAPTER THEY ARE:
> 
> Bill Weasley (Dec. 12th) - 15-16 --> Year 5  
> Charlie Weasley (Nov. 29th) - 13-14 --> Year 3  
> Percy Weasley (Aug. 22nd) - 11 --> Year 1  
> Fred and George Weasley (Apr. 1st) --> 8  
> Ron Weasley (Mar. 1st) --> 6   
> Ginny Weasley (Aug. 11th) --> 5
> 
> Harry Potter (Jul. 31st) --> 6


	9. Purple Iris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her feet always led her to where she was desired most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time figuring out if I wanted to do a chapter in the POV of Draco first or Luna first, cause the flower I chose for this chapter could've fit well for both. But I think Luna is a good choice to do first. We'll just have to do Draco another time.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> :)

**i·ris**

_/ˈīris/_

Color: Purple

Meaning: Royalty, Wisdom

* * *

Her feet always led her to where she was desired most. Her mother and father encouraged her feet to guide her so why couldn't she? So she let her feet guide her to where she was needed and didn't question why as often as she knew she probably should. But her curiosity always won out, her interest peaked whenever her light steps guided her to magical creatures needing food or muggles lost in the countryside. On occasion she got to see some of her neighbors on one of her guided walks and listened as her feet slowed to a stop. 

Today was no exception to ignoring where she needed to go. Luna left her mother in her workshop, wishing her well before leaving out the front door to wherever her feet were guiding her on this bright spring morning. She wore her new shoes on this walk, the ones she got for her sixth birthday only a few months before. They weren't particularly fancy, just enough to not trip or slip through the open fields when she felt the desire to explore.

She traversed past her mother's garden, the snowdrops and bluebells drooping with the last of the morning dew. A wheatear glided by, landing on one of the many perches Luna and her mother put out last winter for the birds and butterflies. Luna made sure to be careful when passing through the open fields between her home and their neighbors, knowing of the hidden mud pits that opened their eyes on rather wet days. 

It only took a few minutes to recognize where she was going today; in the distance the familiar tall house started to peak over the tall grass, one she could see fairly well from her bedroom. The dark brown house still glistened with the nightly rain, windows glowing with warm light from the hearth residing within the Weasley Burrow. 

The small group of children running around the front of the Weasley home drew Luna's eyes to focus. Fred and George, Justice and Temperance, were running around, chasing something Luna couldn't see from where she stood, though their laughter vibrated the earth with a vibrant hum. Ginny, Strength, was hiding behind her mother, The High Priestess, as her brothers ran around the front yard. A man stood next to them, one Luna didn't recognize but didn't fear. Ron was sitting in front of them, Luna could recognize, the Hermit studying the tiny device within his hand. Another stranger, one Ron's size, maybe smaller, was smiling and leaning against the other boy.

Her feet picked up their pace and she continued to make her way towards the family and their guests, a smile forming on her own face. She was sure this was where her feet wanted to go today.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," she said, her voice soft as it usually was. "How are you today?"

"Oh! Good morning, Luna," Mrs. Weasley said, her greetings as cheerful as ever. "I'm doing quite well this morning. What brings you all the way out here?"

"I followed my feet today, Mrs. Weasley," Luna answered. There was no point in lying, even if her words would sound odd to those unlike herself. "I see you have guests today. Am I bothering?" 

"Polite as always, aren't you, deary," The High Priestess laughed, her hand resting on her soft tummy. "You're not bothering at all. We're just having a little bit of a playdate with Ron's friend Harry here. He wanted to see the twins catch one of the gnomes."

Luna drifted her eyes over to the strange boy, one who looked right back at her, but it felt off. Different almost.

"Hello," he said. He reached out a hand. "I'm Harry, it's nice to meet you."

"Luna Lovegood," she said, touching his hand lightly with both of hers. She didn't hesitate to bring her head down, touching the back of his hand with her forehead. It startled the boy, Harry, who immediately darted his eyes down to see the contact. "It's nice to meet you, Magician."

"Why'd you do that?" he asked. He had his face scrunched up. Luna took note how one of his eyes, the left one, dragged a bit to the left a bit more than the right did. How unique.

"I did it because it felt right," she answered truthfully. She tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear as she watched the other boy carefully. "Are you blind?" she asked. A small part of her, one which sounded awfully like her mother, scolded her for such a blunt question. 

"Yeah," Harry said. "But I saw what you did. Not... Not like how I'm sure you could, but I could see the light that happened because of it, and felt it. It looked.... It didn't look.... bad?"

Luna smiled. "I don't think it's supposed to be bad, Harry." She glanced over at the imposing looking man that struck no fear into her. "Is that your father?"

"Mama Sev? Yeah, he brings me here most, though sometimes Unca Siri does when he isn't busy as an Auror. And if I'm not here, I'm learning at home with Mama Sev or at Draco's house. Sometimes I go to Pansy's but I don't go there a lot cause her mom and dad don't like having to look after the two of us together," Harry said. "I think it's 'cause we like each other too much. Mama Sev says it's 'cause we have more energy together then when we're apart." 

Harry gave a pout. "I don't think Mama Sev is right on that, cause I'm always tired afterwards and have to take a nap."

Luna looked at the man again. Long dark hair, pale face, large nose... She caught his eyes and The Hanged Man looked more upright than he did when she saw him further away. She gave him one of her dreamy smiles and a small wave, noticing a lack of smile he gave in return while he nodded in her direction. A quiet man, unlike her father who took his silence as a way to study and develop the information he needed for his work. She felt, in her soul, that this silence was shrouded in a deep mystery that would be difficult to detangle, barbed vines crossing his heart though not digging into it causing him pain. A healing wound, one still tender but strong.

"He's scary, sometimes," Ron muttered, taking the other two children's attention. "Sometimes feels like he's judging me."

"Which he'll never do," Harry assured. "I don't know what he looks like to you, but he's warm and soft to me. Like a blanket. Blankets aren't at all scary... unless you get stuck in one, of course."

Luna glanced back over at the man, who turned his focus away from the two children and instead was talking quietly with Mrs. Weasley. Ginny, despite looking like she wanted to join in on the fun, still hid behind her mother's skirts.

The Hanged Man wasn't as terrifying as Death, which knew all forms and scared one easily enough. He was tall, which added to his imposing appearance, but he didn't at all act like some of the wizards her father and mother warned her against. 

Luna wondered what caused him to look like such. She felt as if this wasn't the man she was supposed to meet, in another life, one less forgiving maybe, she was sure he would be reversed. Not a good sign but redeemable, she was sure of it.

"I'm sure he's as gentle as a kneazle," Luna assured Ron, who still didn't look convinced. "A small bit of training is all he needs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the weekend I think I'm going to solidify the pairings that I have for all my non!Gryffindor Harry Potter stories that I have published so far. Especially if they have "Harry Potter/???" or "Harry/TBD" as a tag

**Author's Note:**

> All legal Harry Potter merchandise is copyrighted to JK Rowling and others connected to her. I just own the fanfiction and what I willingly bought to keep as my own.


End file.
